One of the best things about the Sabre message boards is their ability to reflect the shifting moods of UVa fans. Take the basketball board. In November, there was cautious optimism, followed by delight when Sean Singletary and the Cavs got off to an impressive start. In December, the mood was mixed as the team struggled but still won four of five games. And now?

Well, check out the basketball board for yourself and read the posts. Over the past week, the prevailing mood could be best characterized as resigned negativity. Most fans seem to have lost belief that this team will do well in the ACC and make the NCAA tournament. On the surface, that seems odd, given UVa's 9-2 record and high RPI (13th as of a few days ago). But it also is completely understandable.

After starting the season with four blowout wins, including a rout of Arizona, the Wahoos haven't looked the same since. They haven't had an easy victory in over a month. They needed overtime to defeat two unranked teams (Loyola Marymount and Western Kentucky) at home. And they were clobbered by Wake Forest in their ACC opener at U-Hall.

They have encountered problems with injuries (Devin Smith, Jason Clark, Singletary) and illness (J.R. Reynolds). Their defense has been lousy. Singletary was schooled by Wake's Chris Paul and hasn't shot well recently. Elton Brown has been dreadful in the past two games.

With a foreboding ACC schedule ahead, it's hard to be optimistic about UVa's prospects. But who knows? If Smith returns, if Brown and Singletary get back on track, if Clark and Reynolds keep playing well, if they show some mettle on the road, the mood on the message boards may brighten. If not, the basketball board will still be a good gathering place for frustrated fans. After all, misery loves company, right?

Check out our comfortable items that keep you warm, house flags to help you show your pride, and art to remind you of the feeling of being at the game.

At TheSabreShop.com, we are committed to providing you with the highest quality UVa related items at the best prices. Our order processing and shipping is fast, safe and reliable.

click here	3'x 5' V-Sabres Flag Only $34.99! Finally! A great 3' x 5' flag to hang from the traditional flag pole. Fly this orange and blue beauty from your home, office or at your tailgate. You can also bring it to the game and use it as a banner.
click here	V-Sabres Jacquard Throw Only $34.99! Wrap up and get comfy with our 48"x60" triple woven throw. 100% high bulk Acrylic.
click here	9" x 11" Scott Stadium Print Only $19.99! "Autumn Afternoon with the Cavaliers" A fantastic panoramic photograph of the 2003 UVA GT game. Frame this print and hang it in your office, den or wherever you want to be reminded of football season.

And don't forget to browse the great selection of items we've got in-stock and ready to ship!

Football recruiting...

With the dead period over, recruiting will be in full swing for the final month until the February 2nd Signing Day. UVa is primarily concentrating on keeping its 24 commitments in the fold and appears to be doing an excellent job.

Things are looking good with Lamont Robinson, who may or may not make a fourth official visit to a school other than UVa. I think he will sign with the Cavaliers.

Darryl Gresham

William Fleming linebacker Darryl Gresham will make an official visit to Florida this weekend. The positives for UVa right now are Darryl's relationship with the players and coaches, his relationship with Lamont Robinson and academics. It will be very interesting to find out whether or not the Florida official visit makes a big impact. I'd say UVa has a good shot here, but the Florida visit is the big wild card. Tennessee and Virginia Tech are still under consideration for official visits.

Al Groh and Bob Price will be in-home today with Mikell Simpson, the 6-1, 185-pound TB out of Harrisburg High School (PA). Florida is now apparently in the picture with Simpson, who had narrowed his list to Alabama and UVa. He has one official visit available and is interested in making it to Florida. Florida could again be a wild card here, though UVa and Alabama have both been in on Simpson for a long time. In my opinion, Florida would have to impress mightily to jump in the mix with the current top two schools.

UVa has a new target on the list in Lincoln (Tallahassee, FL) wide receiver/safety Travis Norton. The 6-2, 170-pound Norton has taken an official visit to Oklahoma and has visits scheduled with Louisville (this weekend), Penn State on the 14th and Central Florida on the 21st. Iowa State and UVa are vying for a visit on the 28th.

Stay tuned as news should be flying fast and furious in the final month.

Adelphia, a proud sponsor of TheSabre.com, offers a variety of great services in cable entertainment and high-speed Internet. For your TV-viewing pleasure, Adelphia has three cable packages: Simplicity, Choice and Value. There are also pay-per-view, HDTV and DVR options available. For the Internet, ditch those slow dial-up connections and sign up for Adelphia's high-speed cable connection. Bundle your services and save!

Post of the Week

Granted, this post is very critical of Coach Gillen, but we don't discourage criticism as long as it's constructive, well-reasoned and civil. This post fits those criteria and it seemed to strike a chord with many readers.

Subject: *Sigh*
Posted by: Cavalier91 on Thu Jan 6 2005 10:22:52 AM
Message: I have stayed out of things here over the last couple of years. There are a couple of reasons. First, after several years of repeating the same frustrations, seemingly all of which continue to manifest themselves every single season, I don't feel like there's much to say that I (and many others here) haven't already said before. Second, after really losing patience with the state of the program a couple of years ago, I have lost most of my ability to discuss my concerns tactfully. Really opening up and letting it rip would only serve to further polarize what used to be a great community here. I have no interest in that (which is why this will probably be my last post of the season). I have tried to find more productive ways to express my disappointment with many aspects of our program. I have, however, lurked on a regular basis, and I have followed many of the discussions about Gillen's status, the team's prospects for this season, and the future of our program. I am continuously amazed at the "ostrich syndrome" exhibited by some people here, and a lot of the "can't you just be happy with the win?" kind of comments are really starting to crack me up. Folks, ours is a program that is utterly without direction, and how anybody can deny that is beyond me.

Make no mistake: this post is not based on observations culled after a single game played last night. It is based on observations culled during Gillen's entire tenure at Virginia. Well into his seventh season, I don't think anybody can rationally argue that Gillen hasn't had a fair opportunity to build a program, and I don't think anybody can rationally argue that Gillen isn't responsible for the current state of the program. And yes, I realize that we've had to play the last 2+ games without one of the most important players on the team, but come on, folks - we're almost seven years into the Gillen era. We ought to be beyond the point where the loss of one player relegates us to squeaking out home games against LMU and Western Kentucky. No disrespect to those schools intended, but if have aspirations of being an upper-division ACC team, those are games that we should win comfortably. No, this post is based on a lot more than last night's game. It is based on almost six and a half years of empirical evidence which has clearly demonstrated major deficiencies in several important areas of a program.

To read the rest of the post and the thread it started, please click the link below.

Sabre Edge articles and columns from the past week

Every month, Sabre Edge provides you with exclusive articles, columns, special features, interviews and recruiting news, including daily recruiting updates. There's even a special message board just for subscribers. And to top it off, you get 10 percent off all of your online purchases through TheSabreShop.com during your subscription.

All of the great Sabre Edge content can be yours for the price of $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Try it for a month and cancel if you like. But we think you'll get hooked on the Edge and find out for yourself why the most knowledgeable Cavalier fans are Edge subscribers.

If you're a true Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!